2000 Volkswagen Jetta VR6 from North America - Comments

19th Feb 2007, 21:23

I bought a 200 VR6 with 30,000 miles on it from our local VW dealer in Vacaville, CA. One afternoon the passenger window went down and would not come up again. I partially tore the door apart to see what the problem was and determined that I could not fix it. The Dealer replaced both window mechanisms free of charge, stating that they were covered for 7 years regardless of mileage. I have had to replace the water pump ($500.00) when it started making noise and the brake switch went out which the dealer replaced for free. Overall we love it. It's fast, handles well and has been a dream to own in spite of a few minor problems. We have 75,000 miles on it now and would like to find another, same model with less miles. It's a great car and I would recommend it, but only to people who respect the horsepower!

1st Mar 2007, 13:14

I have a 2000 Jetta VR6 that has also had numerous problems, which are extremely costly. The car started having problems in 2002 when the fuel pump relay malfunctioned. Next, window regulators went, the center console broke, and the glove box hinges broke. In 2005, the Mass Airflow Sensor became faulty, and the one of the O2 sensor gave out. When the car was tested with the OBDII, it showed that the catalytic converter may have gone bad also, which cost app $1200.00 just for the part. On top of all this, the OBD test results also showed that the throttle position sensor may be faulty, which you can only buy with the throttle body costing approximately $1200.00 for the part only!! The car is not even worth what it would take to repair it! It appears as thought many people have experienced similar problems. What does VW have to say about this? Safe car I'm not so sure, but it's definitely not safe on your wallet. Like I read earlier, the Jetta VR6 is a fun and fast car when you can get it to work. I have to say that I'm extremely disappointed with my Jetta, and will never purchase another VW.

14th Apr 2007, 17:28

I own a 2000 VR6 and I have 100,000 miles on it, and I have had zero problems except the broken hinge on the center console. I drive it like my 45 year old dad would drive a car, RESPECTFULLY. I think more people have problems with VWs because they think they are race cars, which in fact they aren't... people, these cars are good, YOU just drive them too hard!

21st Jul 2010, 09:05

My 2000 Jetta VR6 is the car I hate to love. It's still a thrill to drive, even at 10 years old, and handles and accelerates like a more expensive vehicle. Bought it used in '04 with 20K on it and now have 150K. I drive it 80 to 100 miles a day on a long commute in Houston, and for road trips. Anybody else would probably say this car is a too much of a pain and too costly to maintain. I'm compulsive I guess.

The most disconcerting problem has been a failed camshaft, which simply wore away pushing one of the lifters. A complete re-build was needed for $3500 - took the opportunity to put have the shop put in performance cams and heavy duty springs which make the thing sing. Fortunately, my mechanic is brilliant.

I was front ended while stationary on the left side, and the car was totaled. Bought it back from the insurance company, and had it fixed. Didn't seem to affect the mechanicals much.

I had problems with the coil pack arcing and misfires, and fixed it myself with the epoxy trick. Lasted about a year, and now I need a new coil pack (ordered online).

I've had two water pumps replaced (overheating melted shifter rod bearings). and the A/C compressor just went out. I'm having a new compressor put in today.

The ABS system is off now with a constant warning light, was intermittent. ABS brakes really saved my butt in a recent collision. Wheel sensors and electronic diagnostics for this are exorbitant.

The sun roof leaks. My wife had hers replaced for $600. There is recall on some models.

The car is expensive to repair and maintain, and only a combination of do it your selfing and a good expert VW mechanic makes it practical. There is abundant DIY info on the web for this car. I do the most of the many, many simple jobs myself - i.e. oil / filter changes (religiously at 3 to 5K miles with a good synthetic), KN air filter clean / oil with oil change, new battery for dead e-key, replace battery (3 at 2 year intervals in Texas), throttle body cleaning (once a year), top up power steering fluid (eats it), sun roof lube, intake manifold shifter rod bearings (recent), serpentine belt tensioner pulley lube, broken shifter rod air motor, radiator fan, thermostat and housing, broken plastic hose fittings (last month), hood latch (all last month).

5th Oct 2010, 02:57

I have a 2001 Jetta GLX/VR6 Stick shift with 184,000 miles.

I have been having continual problems for the last 2 months. It started with replacing the alternator for $499. 1 day later it was the battery. 3 weeks later, it's the A/C compressor for $1200 and 1 week later it's the large fan motor being locked, the car overheated and has a hole in the radiator, the VW dealer tells me. Repairs, parts and labor are $1305!

Is this really worth it any more? I've replaced the airflow sensors repeatedly, serpentine and tension belts, thermostat, gasket. Also, the large fan motor was replaced 3.5 yrs ago by the same dealership in AZ. So this is the 2nd time...